From Espita to the Ring of Cenotes: Casona Los Cedros and Galopina

From the Pueblo Mágico of Espita to the scrub forest of the Ring of Cenotes: two houses and about two hours of road between them, with Izamal as a pause between the two houses.

Espita: Casona Los Cedros

Casona Los Cedros rooms at dusk, contemporary in line, among the trees and plants of the tropical garden. — Credit: Manolo R. Solís

In Espita, the village once called “the Athens of Yucatán”, the double-height 19th-century casonas (large traditional houses) still keep their cement-tile floors. Casona Los Cedros was a family home, then a cantina, and stood abandoned for about thirty years. Its restoration kept the original house, which now holds the reception and the bar, and built the rooms, the pool and the terrace around a tropical garden of aromatic plants, in a contemporary language.

Stone, chukum, lime, wood and natural fibers, together with furniture made with craftspeople from the region, give the house its texture. The rooms open onto terraces over the garden. And the table is part of the stay: its restaurant cooks with seasonal produce from local producers and from the house’s kitchen garden. From here, Espita is lived on foot, from the square to the church of San José.

In practice: outings from the house to Ek Balam and the X’Canché cenote, and to community-run cenotes such as Sac Aua.

The church of Espita, with its two towers, seen from the fountain in the square among palm trees. — Espita: the church from the square, and papel picado in front of its tower. Credit for both photos: Katie & Alex.

Colorful papel picado in front of the church tower in Espita, beside a palm tree. — Espita: the church from the square, and papel picado in front of its tower. Credit for both photos: Katie & Alex.

Casona Los Cedros page · Official website (opens the official website in a new tab)

Izamal: exploring the yellow city on foot

The yellow facades give the walk its unity, but the interest of Izamal, a Pueblo Mágico, lies in how its eras live side by side. The Franciscan convent of San Antonio de Padua was built on a pre-Hispanic platform. A few streets from the atrium, the pyramid of Kinich Kak Moo is now surrounded by the streets of the town; its ceremonial core spans more than 2,500 years of occupation.

Short stop: allow about an hour for the convent atrium and the squares.
With more time: you can spend half a day: extend the walk to Kinich Kak Moo and have lunch in the center before continuing.

You do not need to see everything on this transfer: choose a visit that lets you reach Galopina without rushing.

Arriving at Galopina

Galopina’s round pool in front of two gabled buildings surrounded by greenery.

At Galopina, the architecture follows the lie of a former henequen plantation, within the state reserve of the Ring of Cenotes. The Yucatecan studio TACO spread the five suites through the scrub forest so that each one looks out differently: two up high, with an open view over the treetops; two set into the earth, surrounded by native vegetation; the fifth beside the house, with its own entrance. All have a private terrace and a hammock.

Elisa and Guillaume describe it as a house for travelers rather than a hotel, and they welcome guests themselves: she looks after the interiors and the kitchen; he looks after the land, the trees and the kitchen garden. The day begins with freshly ground coffee and seasonal fruit and ends with a dinner whose menu changes every day. In between, the birds: from the terrace or on a walk, with the house’s binoculars and species guide. One MICHELIN Key · 2026.

Arrive in time to enjoy the forest and the terrace before sunset.

Galopina Casa Silvestre page · Official website (opens the official website in a new tab)

In practice

Direct: about 140 km, just over two hours of driving.
Via Izamal: about ten more minutes of driving; the walk and lunch come on top.
From Galopina, about 35 km from Mérida: cenotes, introductory cave diving, Javier Marín’s workshop and a henequen hacienda that is still working.

Reviewed on October 12, 2026.

A route of independent houses in Holbox, Espita, Seyé, Campeche and Bacalar. Each house is a destination. Together, they make the journey.